Apple's new iPad is not a rugged device. It was not built to survive harsh treatment. Nowhere in its spec sheet will you see certification for military specifications or protection against water, heat, dirt, dust, vibration, drops, and other everyday dangers. It has an aluminum shell, a glass front, and innards made up of silicon, lithium polymer, and other metals.

Even though we all know how breakable it is, our wonderful friends on the Internet have put the new iPad through a rigorous series of tests to see just how durable it is. This includes firing lasers at it, unloading the clip of an assault rifle into its display, blasting it with a shotgun, and of course dropping it onto concrete.

Why waste the resources to prove a moot point? Who knows what motivates these videographers. Motivation--or lack thereof--aside, there's always something to be said for destroying things (or watching things get destroyed) using means most folks can't get their hands on.

First is a video produced by the fellas over at Wicked Lasers. They aim a number of optical devices at the new iPad and wait to see what happens. "This is what happens when your new iPad 3 battery overheats and explodes," explains Wicked Lasers. "As you can see, it's like a bomb--and it almost burned my garage down!" (This, of course, probably would have served him right.)

The second video comes to us from the gentlemen at RatedRR: Tech Assassin. These dudes have access to some interesting weapons, such as an HK53 assault rifle, and decide to have some fun with them at the new iPad's expense. Who do you think wins this showdown? Kudos to the RatedRR team's use of high-speed cameras to capture the action.

The third video compares how the new iPad survives a simple drop test from waist and shoulder heights onto concrete. It is pitted against the iPad 2. Glass + gravity + concrete = a mess that I hope these people cleaned up.

Blendtec has yet to post a video of the new iPad in one of its blenders, but I am sure it will happen eventually.

What's the point of all this? What some create, others will destroy, no matter the cost.

If you're an enterprise interested in protecting your investment in iPads, there are a number of companies, such as OtterBox, that make cases that improve the iPad's survival skills.

Wicked Lasers video:

RatedRR: Tech Assassin video:

Drop test video:

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